Lord of the Rings- Isa's Choice
by The Cheshire Kat
Summary: Isa, half elf/half human, finds that she is the related to Aragorn, and is hier to the throne of Gondor. Will she accept and save middle earth, or refuse it and give it to Aragorn? (Please R/R, but no flames)
1. Many Many Years Ago

I own none of JRR Tolkien's wonderful characters, and I'm not receiving any money for this whatsoever. I do, however, own Isa.  
  
Hello. If you're reading this, then you've obviously stumbled onto my little fic. Before you read it I must warn you in advance: I haven't read all of the LotR (yet). I'm basing this story on the movie and what I've read in "The Hobbit" and the beginning of "Fellowship of the Ring" (So, please, no flames). With that said (you have been warned) I hope you enjoy my fic.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~  
  
Many, many years ago  
  
The water gently splashed along the banks as it wound itself through Rivendell. The two young girls splashed in the water, enjoying the sunshine and fresh air.  
  
"Arwen" the first one called. She was around nine years old, with thick dark gold hair that ran down her back, braided, and ended at her belt, "Arwen! Come look at this!" The other girl, Arwen, was 10 (well, she looked it) and had equally thick hair, dark brown, that was pulled back.  
  
"What is it, Isa?" the young elf asked, coming to stand next to her friend.  
  
"This stone looks like the moon" the younger said, holding the stone in her palm. The stone was ruby red and looked like the waning moon.  
  
"It does. I'd keep it, if I were you. It'll bring you good luck" Arwen offered this bit of advice. Isa pocketed the stone. She glanced towards the trees and stared at the sun. It was overhead and a little to the right (meaning it was almost 2:00 in the afternoon). Both girls noticed this and went back into the heart of Rivendell.  
  
Arwen went back to her home where she was learning the fair elven magic. Isa went to her home where she was living with her mother. Isa was half elf, and half human, and she had never known her father, for he had died a long time ago, but she had a happy life none the less. She learned some magic, though never as much as Arwen would. She was also trained in combat, something usually reserved for the boys at her age. She was quite proficient with a sword, and even better with a knife. She also learned about herbs and other natural things that grew around Rivendell.  
  
It had been many years since Isildur had destroyed Sauron, and the people of middle earth had finally begun to feel peace again. It was a good time to grow up, and Isa and Arwen were happy.  
  
Isa was shook roughly awake by Arwen the next morning, who was impatient to go exploring. Rivendell had much to offer two adventurous children such as these.  
  
"Why are you rushing me?" Isa asked in elvish, her native tongue.  
  
"We only have a few hours before King Thranduil's son Legolas comes."  
  
"Where does Thranduil rule?" Isa began getting dressed  
  
"Somewhere in Mirkwood" Arwen answered  
  
"Why does it concern us?" Isa asked, pulling on her boots.  
  
"My father wants us to show him around" Arwen pouted slightly.  
  
"I see your point" Isa commented while braiding her hair. Soon they were off, and they disappeared into the woods. They found plenty of things to do and soon the few hours they had were gone. They heard the sound of the horn announcing the arrival of the party. They had a half an hour before the party would actually be there, so they scrambled up the banks of the river and went to their rooms to change. They needed to look at least halfway decent. Isa emerged first, wearing a dress of soft blue. Her hair was braided, as usual, but with a blue ribbon to match her dress. Arwen wore dark green, a color that suited her, and had her hair braided as well. The party arrived just as they finished, so they dashed down the stairs to stand next to Elrond. He gave them a stern look to let them know they were late, by the smiled at his daughter and her friend. The party entered the gates and came to a halt. Legolas was traveling with the King's brother, come to talk of important things. Legolas emerged from the carriage and blinked slightly at the sunlight. It was a long trip from Mirkwood to Rivendell, especially by carriage with an entourage. The young elf stood by his uncle's side mutely, waiting to be called on. They exchanged pleasantries, always a boring affair, and Legolas wanted to get away.  
  
"This is my nephew, Legolas." Came Legolas's cue. He stepped forward and bowed slightly.  
  
"This is my daughter, Arwen, and her friend Isa" Elrond pronounced, and the two stepped forward and curtsied.  
  
"Please, follow me" Elrond said and the two men went into the library to talk, the children forgotten. Legolas looked a little embarrassed, but that never stopped him.  
  
"As you know, I'm Legolas, but who's who?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.  
  
"I'm Isa" Isa said.  
  
"And I'm Arwen. Why did you come?" Arwen asked, not realizing how she sounded. Isa stared pointedly at Arwen, who shrugged.  
  
"What my friend means is, why did you uncle bring you with him on a council meeting?" Legolas smiled.  
  
"I have no clue, but it's nice to see another place besides Mirkwood." He looked around at the grand city.  
  
"Is there anything to do around here?" Arwen surveyed the clothes everyone was wearing. They were all impractical and formal.  
  
"If you have anything else to wear there's plenty to do." She responded. Legolas looked at what he was wearing.  
  
"Pont taken" he smiled.  
  
"You can change in one of the guest rooms" Arwen nodded towards the hallway where the rooms were. Legolas nodded and went to the coach. He pulled out a package and walked back over to the waiting females. Arwen led the way to a small room.  
  
"Meet us in back in the main hall when you're done" Arwen smiled. The two girls left and changed into what they had been wearing earlier. They were back within five minutes, where Legolas was already waiting.  
  
"What do we do now?" He asked  
  
"Well, we can go to the river and see the animals" Isa thought out loud.  
  
"Do you have any horses?" Legolas asked.  
  
"The only way to get them is to go riding with one of the elders." Arwen pointed out, the ever practical one.  
  
"What if they don't know they're gone?" he smiled an innocent smile, but his eyes betrayed him.  
  
"We'd get in trouble if we got caught." Isa pointed out.  
  
"What would they do to you?" he asked. Isa and Arwen thought for a second. They had never deliberately disobeyed their elders before, so they had never been punished. They shrugged their shoulders. The previous years had been wrought with wars and the threat of Sauron, and the girls had always been kept on a close leash.  
  
"Then lets find out" Legolas laughed. Soon the three were sneaking up to the stables. They grabbed the supplies from the tack room that they needed. Isa shimmed under the wooden fence, Arwen and Legolas close behind.  
  
They had found three suitable horses when a voice stopped them. "And what do you think you're doing?" The three turned around and tried to hide their guilty faces.  
  
"Nothing" the three chorused. The stable master, Thurisaz, laughed.  
  
"You can take them, as long as you have them back before the adults are done talking." He winked at them. Arwen hugged the older elf.  
  
"Thank you!" the three chorused. They saddled the steeds up and were out of the paddock in no time. They went to the outer limits of Rivendell and back again, mesmerized by the beauty of the forest. Isa and Arwen weren't allowed to go farther than walking distance unaccompanied, and seeing all the new things was intoxicating to them. Legolas was happy to see a new land, different from what he had always known. The trio lost track of the time, and soon they realized they were late. They spurred their horses on, leaping over bushes and branches. They reached the stables and heard the voices of the adults.  
  
"Thurisaz, have you seen Arwen, Isa, and Legolas?"  
  
"Yes, I have. They've been here, helping." He said. The three kids jumped off their horses and started to unsaddle them. Elrond and Legolas's uncle came around to the tack room.  
  
"There you are" Elrond said, observing the scene.  
  
"Have you two been riding?"  
  
"No. We volunteered to help Thurisaz unsaddle and brush down these horses. Some of the older kids had gone riding earlier." Arwen lied perfectly. Even Legolas was impressed.  
  
"How thoughtful" Legolas's uncle murmured, not believing it for an instance.  
  
"Well, Legolas, its time to go. We need to make it back by nightfall" Legolas nodded and put down the brush he had picked up. Before we was out the door, though, he flashed a smile at the two girls. They tried to keep in their laughter. Elrond looked at them with a raised eyebrow, but said nothing.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, what do you think? I tried to keep to the story as much as possible (like, Legolas is the son of King Thranduil of Mirkwood) but I took some liberties (it doesn't say when Legolas was born, and Arwen was born in 241, 239 years after the death of Isildur and fall of Sauron). Anyway, I hope you liked it (please, no flames) 


	2. The child comes...

One very LARGE error has been pointed out to me (thanks Canon Police). Isa is not Aragorn's sister, but their relationship will be explained later on (since if she were Aragorn's sister, her parents wouldn't even have been born yet. Oops, my bad ;) ). Anyway, it doesn't change the story (I know there's no plot, yet, but you need to have a little background info first. So, stick with me and we'll both have a good time)  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Isa and Arwen continued on their adventures in Rivendell, learning new things every day. Soon the time came, however, when Elrond had to do something he dreaded doing. He needed to send his daughter to live with his sons in Lorien, the land of the fey. He knew she'd love it, and needed to see the world outside of fair Rivendell, but he knew that he would miss her terribly.  
  
Gandalf the Gray, a trusted and wise friend, came to visit. Elrond couldn't help but ask the old wizard for advice. Gandalf sat blowing smoke rings one evening, enjoying the fair weather, when Elrond decided to bring the topic up.  
  
"Gandalf, old friend, do you think that Arwen needs to go to Lorien?" Gandalf, never one to dispense neither advice nor opinion without thought, blow a particularly nice smoke ring and studied it while it floated off into the slate gray disk.  
  
"Parts of her education would be neglected if she stayed here. She still has much to learn" Elrond knew he was right, but he still didn't like it.  
  
"Arwen and Isa will leave within the year" he said sadly, knowing that his girl would be grown when she returned.  
  
The pair left Rivendell, full of nerves and excitement. Isa hated to leave her mother, but she knew that this was the adventure of a lifetime, and she didn't' want to miss it. Elrond hugged his daughter goodbye for the last time for many, many years. The trip to Lorien was uneventful and dull, especially since the girls couldn't ride their own mounts.  
  
It had been many months since the girls had seen Legolas, but they communicated often. Whenever a rider went to Mirkwood, letters were always exchanged. No one had the time nor the patience to escort two young girls to Mirkwood, no matter how much they wanted it.  
  
Over the next years, Legolas saw Arwen and Isa many times, especially when he got older and could come by himself. Soon, however, their world would change... with the bringing of a child.  
  
There came a fateful day when Elrond had to save the life of a child. Arathorn II was slain in battle and his wife, out of fear, gave her 3-year- old boy to Elrond as a foster child. The child Aragorn was given a new name, Estel, and his identity was concealed from all. He grew in Rivendell, just another child  
  
Meanwhile, Isa and Arwen grew in Lorien, learning much. They now appeared to be sixteen, and were unaware of the child in Rivendell. Legolas, however, was a frequent visitor to the fey and the girls to Mirkwood. The three enjoyed each other's company (sometimes a little too much) and always found away to get into trouble. They were a pleasure though, always laughing. Their visits were always too short for their liking, though.  
  
When the girls had reached twenty (in human years) they went back to Rivendell. They were glad to be finally going home, but they would miss their fairy friends. The trip this time was much shorter, Isa and Arwen being allowed to ride their own horses. They went through the woods, cutting a shorter path. Isa loved the woods of Rivendell, and was glad to be going through them.  
  
"Arwen, how much longer do you think?"  
  
"I don't know, a few hours maybe" the elf responded. There was a rustling to their left, and one made by a human, not an animal. Arwen unsheathed her sword and stopped her mount. Isa remover her dagger from her boot. The two scanned the surrounding area. Isa saw him first and made her way over as if she didn't' see him. As soon as she was close enough she jumped on his and pressed her dagger to his throat.  
  
"Who are you and why are you following us?" Isa demanded, pressing the knife closer for emphasis.  
  
"I am Ester, son of Elrond. And who are you and why are you on our land?" he demanded in return, though he was in no such position to do so. In a catlike movement he flipped Isa onto he back and used her own knife against her.  
  
"I answered you questions, now answer mine" he growled. Arwen moved forward and dropped the butt of her sword on his head, which made a muffled thunk. The young man passed out, the knife dropping to the ground.  
  
Ester woke groggily, tied to a tree. He thrashed, which just made his bonds tighter. He noticed his pack on the ground, lying open. He also noticed the two girls, brushing their mounts. Arwen, hearing his struggle, came over to him.  
  
"Why don't you start be telling me the truth" she said lightly, playing with his broadsword.  
  
"I told you the truth!" he yelled. He tried to kick the weapon from her and get it, but she was too fast. The sound of her laugh was musical, which grated on his nerves.  
  
"I am Arwen Undomiel, only daughter of Elrond." She smirked.  
  
"Had my father had another child, he would have told me" she growled menacingly.  
  
"Go ask your father" He said, trying to loosen his ropes.  
  
"Trying to get undone won't help. They are full of elven magic, and you won't break them"  
  
"Isa, one of needs to go and get my father. We need to have this liar executed."  
  
"I'll go. I'm faster" she said and hopped onto her horse. She galloped through the trees, towards the city of Rivendell. She was back within the hour, with Lord Elrond at her side. He had to stop himself from laughing when he saw the situation his foster son was in. His daughter had his own sword pointed at his heart, and he was trying to kick her.  
  
"Arwen, I see you've met Ester" he said, coming down the embankment.  
  
"You know him?" she asked unbelievingly, "He says he's your son"  
  
"He is. I'll explain the situation later. Just untie your brother" Isa groaned at his choice of words.  
  
"He is not my brother, and I don't care if he stays her all night!" she spat. She went to her horse and jumped on it.  
  
"I'm glad to be home" she said, her voice like ice. Isa groaned and went to untie the young man.  
  
"I'm sorry for sneaking up on you. I had no idea who you were" he apologized.  
  
"And I'm sorry for nearly killing you" she responded. The two picked up all of the strewn items and headed towards Rivendell, laughing all the way.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Okay, now that we've gotten past the past, and things will start to get interesting now, I promise! 


	3. Arwen and Ester- the early years

Arwen and Estel's hostility towards each other grew, and Isa had no clue what to do. She had tried reason, threats, bribery, but nothing worked. She was at her wits end when Legolas finally came to visit. Maybe Legolas would have an idea.  
  
Legolas rode up on his cinnamon mount, dressed in green leather. He noticed Isa waiting for him, and he jumped off his horse. When the two finally were together, they embraced, speaking in elvish.  
  
"Its been too long" Isa commented, putting her arm around Legolas's waist in an affectionate gesture.  
  
He put his arm around her shoulder, "It had, Isa, and what are these problems you've told me about" Isa laughed and pointed towards Arwen and Ester, who were yelling at each other. Arwen was on a balcony and Ester on the ground, and she occasionaly threw random object at him, which he tried to duck.  
  
"Who is he, and why is Arwen trying to hit him?"  
  
"That is Ester, Lord Elrond's son. It's a long story, but it ands with Lord Elrond calling Ester Arwen's brother" Legolas winced, knowing that Arwen had a very close relationship with her brothers. Lord Elrond came out to see what the shouting was about and groaned when he saw the situation.  
  
"You two!" he bellowed, "Stop it now or I will have you both locked in a room together!" At this Arwen turned around and went back into her room and Ester walked in their direction.  
  
"Ester!" Isa called, "There's someone I want you to meet" Ester walked over, not looking very happy.  
  
"Ester, this is Legolas, and Legolas, this is Ester. Legolas is a good friends of Arwen and mine" The two men bowed to each other.  
  
"Do you have anyway to shut her up?" Ester asked  
  
"I'm thinking that Lord Elrond *should* lock you two in a room together until the shouting stops" Isa smiled  
  
"If he did that one of them would most likely end up dead" Legolas commented. Ester shot him a dirty look before smiling.  
  
"You're right"  
  
"I think one of you has to give in, concede that you were wrong" Legolas said, examining the young man.  
  
"Let me guess, it should be me" he muttered  
  
"What a great idea!" Isa exclaimed, "But seriously, Arwen feels like you replaced her while we here in Lorien.  
  
Ester considered for a second. "It might work" he conceded.  
  
"At least try" Isa pleaded, "Why don't the four of us go riding tomorrow? We can go towards Lorien" Legolas and Ester agreed.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Will it work?? Tune in next time for the exciting continuance of "As The Ring Turns". Seriously, I'll have the next chp up soon. :) 


	4. The Truth About Isa (and the plot develo...

At the last minute Ester said he couldn't go with them because he said Elrond wanted to talk to him. Everyone thought this was a lie, including Isa, but they said nothing. The trio went through the woods to the outer limits of Rivendell, like they had when they were kids.  
  
Dinner followed later that night, after they returned from their outing, and everyone noticed Ester acting a little strangely. He barely touched his food, and he wouldn't even bate Arwen like he usually did. Isa noticed a change in his demeanor, too. He was usually more relaxed, not so formal. Isa tried to pry whatever it as that was bothering him out, but he refused to even talk. The half elf shrugged and went back to eating, knowing that he would talk in time.  
  
Later that week, Isa was washing in the waterfall when she felt a strange dull pain in her abdomen. It felt like a knife twisting in her gut, but she couldn't feel it. She suddenly had a picture of Ester in her mind, clutching his stomach in a ball on the ground. She gasped at the pain, but threw on her robe and staggered through the forest. She found Legolas and Arwen under a birch tree, talking. Legolas got up and picked her up. The pain subsided a little.  
  
"Ester" she gasped, "is hurt." A vision of where he was flashed through her mind. "In the garden under the oak tree." Arwen left, telling Legolas to take care of Isa and that she would help Ester. Legolas put Isa down at her insistence and examined her. Nothing appeared to be wrong, and now the pains were gone.  
  
"What happened?" Legolas demanded, looking like one very pissed off elf. He softened when he heard how he sounded. "Sorry, you just scared me, that's all"  
  
"I have no clue what happened. I was under the waterfall when I felt a knife was being rammed into my stomach, but it was a dull pain, like I didn't really feel it. Like my mind was disconnected from my body." Legolas thought for a second.  
  
"Sounds to me like you were rammed in the stomach with a knife. Under great pain, the human mind seems to disconnect from the body."  
  
"And where did you hear this?" Isa laughed  
  
"In Gondor. I visit there sometimes, and I talked to one of their doctors."  
  
"Why did you go there and talk to one of their doctors?"  
  
"My education. My father wanted me not only to be a warrior, but to study other types of things, too. Like medicine, art, and agriculture"  
  
"I see" Isa stood up from her place on the stone bench she had been sitting on. Her robe was clinging to her wet body and despite the relative warmth she shivered. Legolas took the cloak from his shoulders and wrapped it around the half elf.  
  
"Let's go get your clothes" he laughed, putting his arm around Isa. The two trotted through the forest and collected Isa's clothes. By the time they had made it back they saw that Ester was fine, walking around and everything. Arwen was at his side, talking about who knows what.  
  
"Is everything okay?" Isa asked.  
  
"Now it is. I found Ester under the oak tree, holding his stomach. The pains went away on their own, though" Lord Elrond had chosen that time to come around the side of the castle and heard the whole conversation.  
  
"What happened?" he asked in his authoritative elf lord way.  
  
"Noth-" Isa said, but Legolas cut her off.  
  
"Isa felt pains in her stomach and knew that Ester was in trouble and where to find him." Isa shot the elf a dirty look.  
  
"I saw a-sort of- vision in my mind of Ester under the oak tree."  
  
"And these pains you had?"  
  
"Felt like a knife in my stomach, but like my mind was disconnected from the pain." Lord Elrond nodded but still looked grave.  
  
"Ester?" he asked  
  
"It just felt like a hot knife in my stomach, but I wasn't disconnected from the pain" he responded. This looked like it didn't worry the elf lord.  
  
"You're both all right now?" he asked, giving the two a once over. They nodded.  
  
"Good." He said and walked off, in the direction of Isa's house. Isa groaned  
  
"He's going to tell my mother, and now she'll be mad that I didn't tell her, and she'll get really worried and my life is over!" the half elf pouted. Legolas laughed.  
  
"I'm sure it won't be that bad" he chided.  
  
"Shows how much you know" she muttered darkly.  
  
~  
  
Lord Elrond found Isa's mother in her house, weaving a tapestry.  
  
"You daughter just felt Aragorn's pain and knew where to find him" he said outright. The giant needle she had been using at the loom clattered to the floor. "Explain yourself" he demanded.  
  
"She is not my daughter," said the elf sadly, "She is the daughter of my sister, Isildor's wife" Elrond looked genuinely surprised by the news.  
  
"So she's..."  
  
"Isildor's last living child".  
  
Elrond's voice was barely a whisper, "His heir." 


	5. Update!

Hey everyone!! Wow, so many reviews while I've been away! I loved them all, so thanx a lot. Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I just got my Internet back, so expect LOADS more stuff on all my stories (I promise to try to come up w/ a new chapter for each).  
  
Anyway, tootles all you wonderful people!  
  
Blaze 


	6. Hey All

Hey everyone!! I am SO sorry I haven't updated in, like, forever, but school got me swamped and I was working all summer. I'm in college now (finally! No more APPLICATIONS!!) Anyway, this is just a little note to tell everyone to look out for more of their favorite fics coming soon (My writer's block is also gone, so my stuff won't suck anymore. Yea!!) Thank you all so much for leaving reviews even though I haven't updates in a while. Luv ya!

The one and only Cheshrie Charlie


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